Enter Avalon...
by Deathy
Summary: Road to Avalon


ROAD TO AVALON  
  
Imagine a world much like Earth, but set apart with its own rules of society.   
Imagine a society where the points you gain become the currency of your life.   
Imagine a life of survival based on Games.  
You know you already live in this world.  
This world is called Avalon.  
  
Your new world can look like your old neighborhood - streets of houses, blocks of crummy apartments, etc. Like any RPG you start off fairly poor, just scrapping by, or may be just barely affording the necessities of life. When you wake up the first thing you see is a room you call home. You didnt "find" yourself here. You chose to move here.  
  
You get up from your bed and go about your daily routine. Dry cereal today; there is no more milk left in the fridge. You used it up making coffee the night before.  
The clock reads 10 00. Another day to go out and earn your living. There is no fixed time to get to work. You decide to leave at 11:30 am after twiddling on your recorder.  
  
You miss the bus just as you exit your apartment, but making sure the door is locked is more important. There had been rumours of a couple of robberies a block from your area. No word on the culprit yet; no one wants to report a robbery that did not have the signs of a break in.  
  
You reach The Wizard's tavern a little after noon. The place is bustling with activity. People crowded around television Screens watching the action going on; some wishing they were in it, others watching and remembering the surprises hidden in the game. More people crowded around the statusboard (aka the scoreboard) watching it as if their life depended on it - it did. These people were either too scared to enter the Games, or too broke to play the Games. They bet on the outcome of the Game... which Party would win, which would lose; that's how they earn their living. If you've been there long enough, you know which Party normally makes it out alive.  
But you are not broke, and you would rather play your own Game, afterall you are a Gamer. You stride confidently to Thalia, one of The Wizard's Game Server, you know today will be the day you pass level 2 of the Dungeon Keep.  
  
Thalia looks to you, barely recognizing you although you come in here almost every day. You give her a card - this is your Game pass, a card that stores your avatar, your points, your credits (in effect, your life). She takes it, and swipes it as her computer uploads the data onto the server. She nods to a keyboard in front of you, and you type your name and password. The screen reads *LOG-IN CONFIRMED*  
"Room 34," she says tonelessly, and you leave without your Game pass.  
The Game pass will be of no use to you where you are going. Should anything life-threatening happen, only Thalia can save you. Hardly anything like that happens.  
  
You enter a grey cemented corridor. Doors are closed to you left and right as you walk down it. The only sound you hear are your own footfalls echoing around you. Finally you reach the door numbered 34. You know it's vacated, but out of courtesy, you knock before you enter. Inside, you see a black chair (almost like a dentist chair) with wires and control boards connected here and there. You take a seat on the chair and manually hook yourself up: first the head gear, then the various arm and leg straps.   
"Log-on," you say outloud.  
  
Your room's Construct comes online. "Good afternoon," he says politely.   
The Construct is an AI, they are always programmed to be polite.  
"Log-on," you repeat, anxious to get into the Game.  
"You will not connect yourself to the Life monitor?" he comments, ignoring your request for now.  
You have forgotten to attach several small wire-connected suction pieces on your chest. These will monitor the condition of your body, it is a safety precaution. You stick them on now; better to be safe than sorry.  
"Right then," he says cheerfully. "My name is Orion..."  
Orion. You will have to remember that name. It is the password to speak to converse with your construct at an event of a LOG-OFF.  
"Ahh I see you have passed stage 1 - the Forbidden Forests, not many people pass the swampland level, they say it's too gruesome and gives you nightmares when you log-off," he continues with his mindless chatter. "Some have set their stakes on looking for a secret passage to skip that level entirely... They tell me it's fruitless, so far."  
  
"Identification, Orpheus," you say. "Code, Alpha, Lambda 3."  
Avatar name and password again. Security is always tight.  
"Verified," Orion says.  
You request to join a random Party. You know you cannot pull this off alone. Today you are lucky, and a Party picks you up after 3 minutes of waiting.  
*LOG-ON*  
  
Blink.  
You find yourself in the familiar simulated environment of Dungeon Keep level 2. Only this time you are further ahead in the game. You are very lucky today; a Party has picked you up after getting through nearly 3/4 of this level.  
"I dont see why we need another member," you hear someone argue.  
"We've lost Grelka in our last confrontation and we need all the magic we can get," another voice growls back.  
"But a Bard?! What the hell are we goin' ta do with a bloody Bard?" another voice cries. "Couldn t'ya find us another mage?" He rolled his r's well. You'd bet your credits he was a dwarf.  
The Wizard's is a Fantasy game. There are 5 stages to the game, and 5 levels in each stage. Dungeon Keep is stage 2. You follow the voices and you find four people turning their heads to look at you. You study the four in return, and immediately recognize their classes: a thief, a ranger, and two warriors - a human and a stout shaggy one, a dwarf.  
"He's a level 4 Bard," the human warrior introduced you to the rest like he already knew you inside and out. The man approached you. "Name's Kull, I am the leader of this Party."  
That's right, level 4. 635 hours and 25 minutes of Game-play you've put into that. You doubt Kull knew that.  
  
You are quickly introduced to your new Party called Pariah. In any event, you will probably not meet them again; they are using you to get to the next level, just as you are using them. But it doesnt hurt to remember their names and half-covered faces; the warriors Kull and Odin, the ranger Taneth and the thief Liselle.  
Then you are on your way, working as a team with one goal. You charm your way through several beasts with the musik of your flute, while the others battled methodically. You make progress with your Party, soon you find yourself at the door of the "King" of the level. You take a deep breath and then charge in with the rest. The fight is long and taxing, you play on your flute weaving spells you never thought you could. And at last the Dungeonkeep Wizard falls dead and everyone cheers for a victory well gained. They pat you on the back, exchange handshakes and hugs, and vow you would meet again someday. You feel intoxicatingly happy as you feel your experience points rise.   
Just as the celebration and reminiscing got to its peak you knew it was time; you decide to leave. Your task has been accomplished, you are feeling very exhausted. You give Party Pariah a silly salute and comical bow.   
"Orion, Log-off," you say, as you turn your back to them. Perhaps you will meet again someday.  
  
Blink.  
And you find yourself back in the old black chair.  
"Well done, Orpheus, Level 4 Bard," Orion says. "You've gained 5423 points during that round."  
That's a lot of points.   
"Upload and store 5 healing elixirs and a throwing dagger to my inventory," you tell Orion. You do the math in your head before Orion does - they would cost a total of 1550 points. But they are worth every point; they could save your ass one day.  
  
You smile wearily as you detach yourself from the chair and remove the head gear.  
You walk out of the tiny room numbered 34, and back into that grey cemented maze of corridors. A guy almost accidently opens his room door in your face. He staggers out dizzily, lowers down suddenly and throws out the contents of his stomach. You wince as you side-step past him, trying not to breath in the putrid smell defusing through the stale air. The guy had just gotten himself killed before he got the chance to log off. Sometimes shit like that happens... you ought to know; it happened to you when you first started.  
  
You find yourself back into the Server room and take a spot in the queue at Thalia's counter. You hazard a glance at the scoreboard and you find the name Party Pariah quickly; it is lit in a brilliant Green. There are other names and colors too. Those without "Party" meant it was a solo mission. Hardly anyone bets on solo missions. Red meant they've failed. Black meant they've logged out for whatever reason, and White meant the Game was still in progress.  
Your stand tall, neck stretching as you study the crowd not knowing what you were looking for. Maybe you were hoping someone would recognize you from the Screens and point you out. Then from the corner of your eye you thought you see Kull emerging into the Server room, but it was only a glimpse. And when you turn your head to check, the person behind you nudges you forward. You had been holding-up the line.  
  
Thalia does not look impress as you go to her. "34," you say.  
She pulls your Game pass, and you type your user-name and password again.  
"3423" points," Thalia comments, showing no emotion.  
"Convert 1500 to credits," you tell her. This should be enough for a decent dinner and groceries for the next few days with some to spare.  
Thalia nods and does her thing on the computer. Then she hands your Game pass back.  
Another day gone. Another task done.   
  
Today had been a better day than a lot of days.   
Today you were luckier than others.   
Today you get to relax when you get home.  
  
Now... Are you ready to LOG-ON?  
[If you are interested in joining visit Avalon: the Gamer's Continuum at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/avalon_the_game] 


End file.
